London Normal School
A History
From Southern Wharncliffe road we caught a fleeting glimpse of its stately tower. By the time our automobile reached Emery Street it had disappeared entirely. But as we turned the corner at Elmwood Avenue it sprang into view in its entirety, surrounded by spacious lawns and spreading trees.
With fast-beating hearts we mounted those cold grey steps. A bare white hall and more steps met our eyes: another hall, this time less bare filled with other young people like ourselves, who quietly followed the crowd; down steps this time and—home!
— Marjorie E. Hamil ‘First Impressions at Home’
The London Normal School in Wortley Village, London, Ontario is a stately, 115 year old building built in 1898. Presently, the former school sits vacant and closed to the public. its once busy hallways full of students studying to become better, more efficient teachers are now empty. Though the London Normal School has not changed much over the decades, it is more interesting in how the building has not changed as a symbol of the neighborhood and the surrounding community.
First built by architect Francis Heakes, who designed five of the Normal Schools in Ontario—London, Peterborough, Stratford, North Bay and Hamilton — the London Normal School was the third school built in Ontario after Toronto and Ottawa.
The building itself is a grand High Late Victorian public works building out of brick, with gothic or romanesque elements. It’s notable main features are the gothic rose windows, original red brick, its high belfry tower, restored octagonal copulas, elaborate cornices, and its grand central staircase.
The school’s purpose, first conceived by Egerton Ryerson, the methodist pastor, was to standardize the system of education present in Canada which had been for the past few decades moving from a tedious form of teaching students by rote and memorization to learning how to engage their classrooms using new educational methodology while also instructing new teachers on new regulations standardizing or ‘normalizing’ syllabi and curriculum.
Though the school was the third school to be built in Ontario, it was the constant persistence of the community and the prominent community figure Colonel Francis B. Leys to the Provincial government for nearly thirty years that the school became a reality in London.
The one year-long training that was involved became increasingly popular by 1922, the school having grown from 96 students in 1900 to 333 pupils in 1922, with over two hundred from outside London and the immediate counties. The curriculum of the students was intend to expand their general knowledge of many subjects and train them to engage their students as they studied: art, science, the science of education and several languages. While they studied at the School, students were housed in surrounding homes and boarding houses and were placed by the vice president of the School, John Dearness, a notable botanist, administrator, and a graduate of the Toronto Normal School. The students were also engaged in a variety of clubs, a new novelty to encourage collaboration and good spirits. Included in the list of clubs were the glee club, various sporting clubs for the men including rugby and volleyball, and literary club open to all students, male and female. The students found their training challenging, but exciting. And students remembered their time at the London Normal School fondly, carving their names at the end of the year into the yellow brick on the 3rd floor, marking their contribution to London’s long history of excellence in teaching.
After London Normal School was moved to its new location at Western University it became a junior high school until 1963. The school then became the seat for the London Board of Education and soon after was the home of the Catholic School Board (the Monsignor Feeney Centre) until 2005 when the Board requested that the existing parking lot be widened into the heritage designated green space behind the school to accommodate more people but was denied. Since 2005, the building has been in city and provincial hands as a new occupant is sought.
Despite it’s vacancy, the building itself has suffered little vandalism and has continued to be a part of the community has been renovated twice,both times led by architect Carlos Ventin, in the 1980's for the restoration of ‘a fire hazard’, notably the wiring, piping, and renovation of the basement of the building.
2012, Stairs to Auditorium, Main Atrium, 1st Floor Office Space,Former Classroom First Floor
In 2005, Ventin carefully led the recent 2005 repair of the roof, windows, and cleaned the brick of pine sap that was damaging the brick. The current possible occupant is the YMCA, who would use the former London Normal School as an administration building for the with daycare facilities, and most importantly the green space will be open to the public for their use. As the Old South heritage district in London becomes a reality the London Normal school is well on it’s way to becoming a beacon of good heritage reuse.
A very special thanks to Bob Porter and Dave Vermue for their help with this project.
Bibliography
GILLESPIE, Ian. “Opportunity to save a Shining Jewel.” The London Free Press. http://www.lfpress.com/news/columnists/ian_gillespie/2012/02/24/19423596.html (accessed November 12, 2013).
“London Normal School.” HistoricPlaces.ca — Canada’s Historic Places. http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8871 (accessed November 12, 2013).
London Normal School Yearbook 1923-24. London, Ontario: Selby Young Printing Co, 1888-1939.
London Normal School Yearbook 1931-32. London, Ontario: Selby Young Printing Co, 1888-1939.
London Normal School Yearbook 1939-40. London, Ontario: Selby Young Printing Co, 1888-1939.
Porter, Bob. Interview with Kaitlyn Kachmarchik. In-person Conversation. London, Ontario, October 31, 2013
Simner, Marvin L. 2009. The london normal school and rural education in southwestern ontario. London, Ont: London & Middlesex Heritage Museum.
Simner, Marvin L., and London and Middlesex Historical Society (Ont.). 2012. The heart of wortley village: From crown land to urban community. London, Ont: London and Middlesex Historical Society.
